MYOKO heavy cruiser 1929

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Built as a heavy cruiser by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Yokosuka, for the Imperial Japanese Navy,
25 October 1924 laid down.
16 April 1927 launched as the MYOKO she was the lead ship of the MYOKO-class heavy cruisers.
Displacement 10,980 ton standard, 13,300 ton full load. Dim.201.9 x 2073 x 6.30m (draught).
Propulsion: Four geared turbines 139,000 shp, 12 Kampon boilers, four shafts, speed 36 knots.
Range 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h).
Armament: 10 × 203 mm (8.0 in) guns (5×2), 6 × 12 cm/45 10th Year Type naval gun guns (to 1934) or 8 × 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval guns (from 1935)
2 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns. 12 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes.
Two catapults 3 Aircraft.
Complement 773.
31 July 1929 commissioned.

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

Named after a mountain in Niigata Prefecture, MYOKO was the lead ship of the four-member class of heavy cruisers. At the start of the Pacific War, she participated in the invasion of the Philippines in Dec 1941, providing cover for the landings at Davao and Legaspi. In late Dec 1941, she was reorganized, along with all other members of Cruiser Division 5, and assigned under Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka. On 4 Jan 1942, she was attacked by American B-17 bombers, and was hit by one 500-lb bomb; she was dry-docked at Sasebo for repairs. On 1 Mar 1942, she participated in the Battle of the Java Sea, sharing the credit for disabling the British destroyer ENCOUNTER that eventually led to her scuttling. In Apr 1942, she unsuccessfully gave chase to the carriers that launched the Doolittle raiders who bombed the Japanese home islands. In May 1942, MYOKO was part of the escort for the Tulagi invasion force in the Battle of the Coral Sea, then in the following month, she sailed with the Midway invasion force though she did not participate in combat. In late-Jun 1942, she sailed with Cruiser Division 5 to support the newly captured Aleutian Islands. On 11 Oct 1942, MYOKO sailed as a part of the Second Fleet from Truk for Guadalcanal. After some time refitting at Sasebo, she returned to Guadalcanal again to assist in its evacuation. In May 1943, she assisted the evacuation of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. In Jun 1943, she was fitted with four Type 96 25mm anti-aircraft gun mounts and a Type 21 air search radar set; the work was completed at Sasebo. In Nov 1943, she sailed under the banner of Cruiser Division 5 as escort for four destroyer transports carrying 1,000 troops for Bougainville. The fleet made contact with an American force, and the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay ensued. At the conclusion of the battle, the Japanese scored a victory, but MYOKO suffered some damage as the result of a collision with destroyer HATSUKAZE: HATSUKAZE was seriously damaged and was eventually sunk at the end of the battle. On 17 Nov, she arrived at Sasebo and received eight single-mount 25mm anti-aircraft guns, then acted as convoy escorts in the Truk-Palau area until May 1944. In Jun 1944, she participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. 13 December 1944 she was torpedoed by USS BERGALL (SS-320). Later in the war, she acted as a floating battery at Singapore. After the war, she was scuttled off Port Swettenham, Malaya (now Port Klang) on 08 July 1946.

MYOKO Operational Timeline

31 Jul 1929 MYOKO was commissioned into service.
1 Nov 1929 Captain Yoshiyuki Niiyama, commanding officer of NACHI, took on a dual role as the commanding officer of cruiser MYOKO.
22 May 1939 MYOKO, flagship of Vice Admiral Koichi Shiozawa of the Japanese Navy 5th Fleet, arrived in Xiamen, China in response to recent British, French, and American troop arrivals in the international zone.
8 May 1943 YAMATO, CHUYO, UNYO, MYOKO, HAGURO, YUGURE, NAGANAMI, SAMIDARE and USHIO departed Truk, Caroline Islands.
13 May 1943 YAMATO, CHUYO, UNYO, MYOKO, HAGURA, YUGURE, NAGANAMI, SAMIDARE and USHIO arrived at Yokosuka, Japan. Later on the same day, YAMATO departed for Kure, Japan.
8 Jun 1946 MYOKO was decommissioned from service.

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